Exit polls show Bibilov winning South Ossetia elections.

Emergency Situations Minister Anatoly Bibilov is ahead in the presidential election being held in South Ossetia on Sunday, according to exit polls by the Institute of Social Marketing and the Moscow Higher School of Economics.

He's likely to gain 53.2% of votes, the exit polls show against his main rival, former Education Minister Alla Dzhioyeva who's believed to have gained 46.8%, Itar-Tass said, citing the same polls that involved 8,643 voters and were co-ordinated with the South Ossetian Central Elections Commission. The turnout was more than 70 per cent. The center of the republic’s capital was surrounded by police to prevent trouble erupting after the election, Interfax reported.